EDCI5825 Week 6

This course has ben very informative. I had never used wikis or blogs before and now I can see that they can be a great tool for education. I believe it is very important in today's society to use technology for instruction. It has become such a part of student's lives and using it in the classroom will help students connect to the material and teachers can take advantage of that ability.

I think that most of the projects and all the different tools we learned were very helpful. The Voki is maybe the only technology which seems frivolous rather than valuable for teaching. I would have liked to worked more with Jing because I have seen Gina use it and feel like it could be valuable. Perhaps you could have used it to show us how to create some of the accounts we needed or how to make a glogster and we could have done that as an assignment. Another suggestion would be to use a SMART Notebook presentation in your instruction to us so we could have seen it in action.

I feel fairly confident moving forward with Wikis, Blogs and Google Docs but it has to do alot with the fact that we used them throughout the semester in more than one class. If we used them for all the classes it would probably be really helpful but maybe that is not comfortable for all the instructors. I definitely feel confident using the Mac and I am not afraid to just experiment with different technologies in the future. Perhaps I could ask my students for some creative ideas on using technology in the class or for assignments.

Using Google Reader

Google Reader is great for following the content of a number of different blogs. They are in one place and it is easy to switch back and forth between them. It lacks the color and individuality of the actual blog but provides all the written data clearly.

It is neat to see everyone else's blogs and how they responded to prompts from GNA's class. I really enjoyed the 'A good teacher' prompt. It would have been neat to do it on the first day of class and then again the last to see how our thoughts and feelings changed over the course.

Lori wrote about having 2 agendas. I think that is a neat concept- the curriculum (knowledge) and then ethics/ morals. Kerri discussed taking time to understand and connect with students, while Thilaga wrote that a good teacher needs to be aware of the cognitive and the emotional state of the students. We have a great group to travel with this learning journey!

EDCI 5825 Week 5

One website that I will consider using is VoiceThread. It allows students and educators to post work for either private or public viewing. If it is public anyone can view the post which allows students to show it to parents and grandparents (Voice Thread, 2011). Only classmates, teachers and educators can comment on the post which keeps it safe and filtered (Voice Thread, 2011). It also has a drawing tool which can be activated while commenting so that you can underline, circle or point to something while commenting (Voice Thread, 2011). Comments can also be voice or text (Voice Thread, 2011). Students could be asked to comment on other student artifacts for either clarification or 'glows and grows' feedback.

Another website I would like to use is Journey North. This site would be great in an Agriculture class. It allows students to track Spring as it continues north or animals as they migrate (Journey North, 2011). Students collect and enter data and then can compare and graph the information (Journey North, 2011). It would help them to understand our world and the process of life in relation to climate and latitude/longitude. It also contains photos, slideshows, and maps. Students could also look at last years data for comparisons. It looks like a great site to get students interested in the world around them.

Journey North. (2011). Track spring's journey north. Retrieved from: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/

Voice Thread. (2011). Retrieved from: http://voicethread.com/

Week 5 T2P Essay & Statement

Articulating morality provides opportunity for teachers to know themselves better and realize what they are bringing to the classroom each day. It also helps a teacher to focus on what she/he feels is the most important goals that she/he wants the students to take away from the class. Morality is implicit in our teaching but once we are aware of its impact on our teaching and our students we can understand its significance to our pedagogy. Pedagogy is a teacher's approach to and beliefs about teaching which is formed by his/her own experiences as a learner as well as how he/she believes learning occurs. Yero's research has shown that teachers are very influential in the classroom environment. As educators we want to enhance and promote optimal learning in our classrooms and to do this we must first understand our own pedagogy.

If a teacher allows students to share the instructional role of the classroom then he/she will be promoting optimal learning because she wants them to have the skills and autonomy to lead satisfying, productive lives. This empowerment and sharing of the teaching responsibility shows students that the teacher respects and values each student and their ability to research, to collaborate, and to direct their own learning. Pink calls this self-directed freedom and independence; autonomy. Competency is also achieved as students work to master concepts in creative self driven ways. As students work together they form bonds and a feeling of connectedness on this learning journey (Vygotsky).

Students will be intrinsically motivated when they have a voice in their learning environment. Instruction will be in their language, at their zpd (zone of proximal development) and relevant to their lives. Vygotsky's zpd refers to the zone which the student is currently at developmentally and cognitively; it is where learning occurs. If a student encounters material at his/her zpd then he/she can make sense of the information and growth will occur. Students will create curriculum that has purpose, and is interesting to them. Children are naturally curious and when allowed to explore within a safe and caring environment will want to learn (Siemens). This exploration is intrinsic motivation which leads to optimal learning in a supportive and caring environment (Noddings). A teacher will create this environment because she wants her students to be intrinsically motivated which will encourage them to be life long learners. If students have this intrinsic motivation they can overcome many obstacles that are put in their way and persevere in whatever path they may choose.We are always learning and evolving and should never feel that our education is over.

A Good Teacher

A good teacher knows where her students are developmentally and cognitively with the content she/he is teaching because the students need to build upon their existing frameworks. A good teacher shares the instructional role with his/her students because he/she wants students to know how to actively participate in a democracy. A good teacher cares for her/his students well-being emotionally and physically so that they feel secure and valued in the learning environment. A good teacher challenges her students to think critically and engage in current event discussions because she wants them to see the importance and relevance of the material to the real world. She wants them to have successful futures and be able to engage in life. A good teacher uses peer collaboration and discussion to encourage students to learn from each other. This builds connectivity and enhances learning because students speak the same developmental language She wants them to respect one another's opinions and beliefs. A good teacher models honesty and integrity.

If preparing students to live in a democracy is a component of a teacher's pedagogy then the teacher will share the instructional role with his and her students. The teacher will stress peer to peer instruction and create opportunities for students to have an equitable voice in the classroom. Jerrid Krusse discusses the importance of social, collaborative, student centered learning. This sharing not only enhances learning it also gives students an opportunity to practice articulating their views. It is important for students to have a voice so that they can maintain their freedom in the face of oppression. Students can learn through modeling, and by encouraging democracy in the classroom students will learn to think critically and be prepared to participate in a democratic society. Judith Yero maintains that students are directly impacted by their teacher and the classroom environment.

EDCI 5824 Week 4

• Please provide specific examples of technology/tools that you would recommend for a student with... (1) a hearing impairment, (2) low-vision, (3) a broken right arm, and (4) autism (non-communicative)

There are technologies available today to assist students who have disabilities with their education. If teachers had access to these tools they would be able to meet the needs of more of the students. A student could use speech recognition software to assist a student that is hearing impaired. The software Dragon NaturallySpeaking by Apple is an example of this technology. A microphone can catch the teacher's voice and then the "words appear in a floating tooltip as they are spoken" on the student's computer screen (Wikibooks, 2011). This would enable the student to see all the words which have been spoken and the student would not miss out on any of the classroom instruction. This technology would also help a student who has broken his or her right arm because, the student could use the microphone to dictate documents in place of typing. The student could also "issue commands that are recognized as such by the programme" in place of using the mouse (Wikibooks, 2011).

To address the disability of low-vision in education, a student could use a DAISY. This talking book technology is designed to make "all published information available to people with print disabilities" in a "feature-rich navigable format" (Wikibooks, 2009). It enables low-vision students to "read print as easily and efficiently as a sighted person uses a printed book" (Wikibooks, 2009). A student with this technology would not feel at a disadvantage in the classroom.

An E-reader is another technological tool which a teacher could use in the classroom. This may work well for students who are non-communicative. It has the ability to "convert text-to-speech and permit the user to choose from a variety of synthesized voices" (Wikibooks, 2010). A student could use the E-reader to talk for him or her if they are unable to vocalize. This would enable them to participate in discussions or answer questions. The NETS-T encourages the use of technology to "facilitate experiences that advance student learning" (ISTE, 2011). Using these assistive technologies in the classroom will certainly meet this standard.

ISTE. (2011). Nets for teachers 2008. Retrieved from: http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx

Wikibooks. (2009). Assistive technology in education/DAISY. Retrieved from: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/DAISY.

Wikibooks. (2011). Assistive technology in education/speech recognition software. Retrieved from: http://wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Speech_Recognition_Software.

Wikibooks. (2010). Assistive technology in education/ebook. Retrieved from: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/eBook.

Week 4 T2P Essay & Statement

T2P statements with labels

if =red

then =purple

because = blue

proof = orange

If preparing students to live in a democracy is a component of a teacher's pedagogy then the teacher will share the instructional role with his and her students. The teacher will stress peer to peer instruction and create opportunities for students to have an equitable voice in the classroom. One way students learn is through modeling, and by encouraging democracy in the classroom students will learn to think critically and be prepared to participate in a democratic society. Students also learn by actively participating in this environment. Judith Yero maintains that students are directly impacted by their teacher and the classroom environment. Jerrid Krusse discusses the importance of social, collaborative, student centered learning.

Moral -importance of democracy and equality

If a teacher empowers students to learn on their own and focuses the lesson on student centered activities then the environment will be mutually enhancing. When a teacher allows students interests and abilities to drive the activities within the content of the course, she will be learning along with them. This builds student's confidence and self determination. Competency is also achieved as students work to master concepts in creative self driven ways. This empowerment and sharing of the teaching responsibility shows that the teacher respects and values each student and their ability to master a concept. Viki Davis shows how this focus on autonomy, competency and connectivity builds creativity and persistence in her classroom. According to Deci & Ryan persistence, creativity and enhanced performance lead to overall wellness.

Moral - teacher values individuals, diversity, respect for other's opinions, believes that each student has a contribution to make

Week 4 T2P Reflection

Peer to peer instruction is very informative. The language is often appropriate for the students to understand. Sometimes a teacher will be talking above the level of the students so by asking students to do research and then present a concept or idea to classmates, works very well. Students can raise points that a teacher may not have felt was relevant and the student can explain their view. The teacher can still ensure that the students understand what she/he feel is the key points but can also be informed why the students felt certain data was important. This is modeling democracy in the classroom by giving equitable voice to all students.This democracy leads to mutual enhancement as a result of the student centered lesson.

Deci & Ryan believe in the self-determination theory to achieve overall wellness. The video showed this theory in action and helps to clarify how autonomy, competency, and connectivity work together to create an awesome learning experience for all. We discussed how it is the teacher's job to captivate the students and hold there attention. But I suggest that when the teacher allows for some flexibility in the content and shares that responsibility with the students then this will result in high quality motivation through autonomy, competence, and connectivity. Wow that was a T2P statement without even trying to do one!

So... If a teacher allows for flexibility and student driven lessons where the teacher and students share the responsibility for teaching and learning equally then students will persevere in education, become creative learners and their overall performance will improve. This democratic approach to teaching actively engages students in the educational content of the classroom. They are then motivated to develop competency and autonomy when they are responsible for content. When students know how to learn and then can share knowledge they have gained with their peers they gain self confidence. Teaching each other and working collaboratively fosters a connectedness and empathy with peers. Deci & Ryan's theory of self determination embodies these relationships and encourages teachers to use methods which develop a student's intrinsic motivation. Davis' pedagogy also embraces these ideas of motivation as is evidenced in her classroom and her role as facilitator rather than instructor.

Moral: The teacher values individuals and democracy and wants students to develop awareness of self instruction and acquire tools to become life long learners.

My Theorist Spreadsheet